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Cafe tables and chairs.

As many of you know we’ve been working for some months now on opening our own cafe. My hope was to have something open by the spring to take advantage of our lovely summer.

Sadly this hasn’t happened for two reasons. Firstly the weather has not exactly played ball but more importantly we’ve been working with a potential external partner to provide our coffee and cafe expertise.

I wanted us to open a cafe that would support both the people who grow and produce the coffee, but also people of this parish who have perhaps not had the best deal in life – either in terms of exams or upbringing – but who have the drive, passion and energy to launch and run their own business.

As somebody who didn’t get to do A-levels I recognise the importance of being given an opportunity to prove yourself in other ways – I want our coffee shop to offer that chance to somebody in our parish.

Sadly we were not able to come to a satisfactory place with the partner and so I’ve taken the decision to bring this enterprise in-house. 

Over the coming weeks we’ll be advertising this opportunity far and wide so keep an eye out and be ready to share it.

We’re already one step closer to opening thanks to an incredibly generous donation of outside cafe furniture from Alex and Stef Richards. Thank you both so much.

Fr. Matthew

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Readings for 20th August

Other news

There is Sunday School THIS WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

There is Thursday Fun and Fellowship this coming Thursday. This is proving to be a really lovely evening with a great group of people. 7pm – 8:30pm. Board games, conversation and refreshments.

We’re going to move tea & coffee after mass to the rear of church in the cafe area. The tea & coffee rota isn’t getting much love at the moment so if you feel able to help please do get in touch. You’ll be able to learn how to use the espresso machine and it would be an enormous  help and your gift to extending to fellowship and love of St. Anselm’s.

We are looking for volunteers to help serve food on the 2nd Thursday of each month and to learn how to operate the coffee bike. If you’d be interested in helping please speak to Fr. Matthew.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Poverty of our souls.

This week we celebrated St. Clare. St. Clare was an astounding woman who lived in the late 12th and early 13th century and was a contemporary of St. Francis.

She was hugely inspired by St. Francis and his vow of poverty and she started a community of nuns that became the Poor Clares.

The Poor Clares were radical in their day – they adopted a vow of poverty that was incredibly severe. What’s fascinating is that this Rule remains so severe in contrast to todays world – it was radical then and continues to be radical today.

St. Clare had noted that religious houses of the day had a tendency to become more lax. To allow themselves more and more freedoms from the Rules they had originally created. Clare felt that a strict adherence to a Rule is what would allow herself – and the women who followed her – to understand Jesus better – and that understanding would enable them to be more caring in the world around them. 

This remains true to this day. St. Clare offers us an example of poverty – not just in the material sense but perhaps more importantly in the spiritual sense. 

If we understand that we are spiritually poor – that we are on a long, hard journey to understand Jesus better – then we can keep ourselves to a higher standard, a higher rule – a stricter Rule of Life. 

In understanding that we are spiritually poor we can stop ourselves relaxing so much that we loose the importance of the good works we care called to do and the prayer we are called to offer. 

Guard well against a desire to become more lax.

Fr. Matthew

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Readings for Sunday 13th.

Other news

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Don’t forget there is Thursday Fun and Fellowship this coming Thursday. This is proving to be a really lovely evening with a great group of people. 7pm – 8:30pm. Board games, conversation and refreshments.

We’re going to move tea & coffee after mass to the rear of church in the cafe area. The tea & coffee rota isn’t getting much love at the moment so if you feel able to help please do get in touch. You’ll be able to learn how to use the espresso machine and it would be an enormous  help and your gift to extending to fellowship and love of St. Anselm’s.

There is Sunday School NEXT WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

We are looking for volunteers to help serve food on the 2nd Thursday of each month and to learn how to operate the coffee bike. If you’d be interested in helping please speak to Fr. Matthew.

Miracles Still Happen

During the week, I had an encounter with a wonderful woman, and after the conversation, something came to mind, and I have been thinking about it ever since. I have this conviction that nothing happens by chance and that, as a Christian who believes in God, everything happens for a reason, not just by chance. I have been thinking of miracles and how often we experience them without knowing they are miracles. 

Miracles are always extraordinary, are manifestations, and they are also divine interventions.  Miracles can be experienced in different ways, and it is essential to acknowledge that all miracles emanate from God. It’s all about God and not man. It is available for all, and we experience it all the time because life is a miracle. 

We experience miracles when the spirit of God leads us, have a forgiving heart, are always thankful, full of praise to God even in difficult times, have an unshaken faith, and exhibit the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.” 

This Sunday is the Feast of the Transfiguration of The Lord, a miracle that cannot be understood. No wonder the celebrated theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas, refers to the transfiguration as ‘The Greatest Miracle’ because it goes a long way to complement the Holy Baptism and portrays how perfect life is in heaven.  

God is already performing miracles in our lives, so let us continue to trust him and allow Him to have His way in our affairs.

Fr. Josiah

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Other news

The Historic 59 Club is back this Thursday from 6pm to 9pm, come and join them for the monthly meet.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

We are still encouraging those who would like to read in church and also help serve tea and coffee to contact Susan.

Fan Into Flame, The Gift of God in you

For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands (2 Timothy 1:6). 

Each of us has unique gifts that came from God, and we must fan them or stir them up for them to benefit the assembly of God. Sometimes we belittle what is in us and cannot stir it up to achieve our full potential. This is because we think we have nothing to offer or that what God has given us is irrelevant. It is important to note that every Christian has a ministry in the church of God, and we need to develop them through the power of the Holy Spirit poured on us at Baptism. 

We cannot build our gifts when we hide them and do not make them relevant in the church and the community. No God-given gift is too small or irrelevant because God gives every skill or talent to help the assembly grow, develop and flourish. Therefore, the power and authority of God are always at work in the church, where every gift is made evident and relevant.  

Let us look deep within us in devotion, meditation and prayer through the power of the Holy Spirit to discern what God wants us to use our gifts for in the church and the community of believers. This will help us fan into flame the gift of God in us by making ourselves available to the things of God and playing an active role in any area of the Church’s life.

Fr. Josiah

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Other news

There will be Sunday School NEXT WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Our Thursday Fun & Fellowship (TFF) is on again this Thursday at 7pm. It’s going to be a great evening of conversation, board games, all with tea, coffee & cake. Please be in touch with Fr. Josiah if you could lend a hand serving or having a chat with people.

Holy rest, why is it so important.

It is often said that Priests, when they preach, do so primarily to themselves. This may well be an example of me writing an article I need to read!

We have a packed Autumn Term planned, there is something happening every week and we’re all working super hard to bring new people to Jesus Christ here at St. Anselm.

As we come to the summer school holidays it’s a good time to reflect on our workloads and consider a time of rest and relaxation.

This isn’t being lazy, it isn’t running away – it is vital if we are to be in the best shape possible to welcome the people of Hayes as they discover us through the mission and evangelism work we are all working so hard on. 

What good will we be if, when children arrive for Sunday School we are so worn down and grumpy that the welcome they receive is anything less than loving and enthusiastic? 

What good will we be if, when people who come on Thursday evening to the 59 Club or Fun & Fellowship are faced with sourness and tired disciples?

God gave us the sabbath – our day of rest – as a model of His being, of His love. 

To love Him, is to accept His rest… to be like the disciple that Jesus loved and to recline our heads in His lap.

Thank you for all you have done this year. Rest now. Come back re-energised and full of Love for Him.

Fr. Matthew

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Other news

There is Sunday School THIS WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Fr. Josiah is launching the first Fun & Fellowship evening this Thursday at 7pm. It’s going to be a great evening of conversation, board games, all with tea, coffee & cake. Please be in touch with Fr. Josiah if you could lend a hand serving or having a chat with people. 

It’s mission, but not as we know it.

Last Thursday we launched the first of two new Thursday evening events designed to reach out into the wider community of Hayes and make people feel welcome. 

Last week we heard about our new initiative ‘Thursday Fun & Fellowship” and this week I get to share “Spanners and Coffee”.

Our new monthly meet of the famous 59 Club will happen on the second Thursday of each month.

This week we saw a huge diversity of people attend – people who rode Triumphs, Hondas, Harleys, Aprilias, BMWs – they were all represented!

We welcomed people who have lived in Hayes their entire lives and remembered the 59 Club from the 60s & 70s and came into the church for the first time in the lives.

We saw friends and family of people who come to church regularly but who were too afraid to step in themselves.

We saw bikes in the nave, at the font, and in the aisles. We saw 21 year old guys taking photos of their machines with the altar in the background and sharing the images to all their friends who now want to come to church.

We welcomed local business owners who have a connection with the biker family and wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

There were hot dogs, burgers, coffees, hot chocolates and fries. It was a huge success and I can’t wait until next month to meet new amazing people who had never thought of coming to church… but just maybe… this may work for them and they may come to know Jesus.

Fr. Matthew

Downloads

Readings for 16th July, 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Other News

Our new Sunday School is up and running and is an hour after mass every other Sunday. There is Sunday School NEXT WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

We are planning a Bible Study Evening for Thursdays starting on 27th July, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. We will come together to have informal discussions on interesting topics in the Bible, share ideas, experiences, have tea / coffee, pray, and play board games together. Let us pray about it for the will of God to be done.

An enormous thank you is owed to all those who helped host our very first motorbike meet with the 59 Club – but especially to Julie who manned the BBQ and Coffee Bike and then cleaned it all up afterwards! 

Please keep any eye on services during the week over the summer. With so many other churches to cover and with holidays there are often last minute changes.

Thursday fun and fellowship.

Have we considered the importance of fellowshipping and recreational activities with friends, especially church members? 

St. Anselm Church is a family like any other church, but we always pride ourselves in the fact that our family is unique because we have purposed in our hearts to grow together and support each other with the help of God. 

Our history tells us that we have been through many good and challenging times, but we have stayed together as one big and loving family that is always welcoming. 

We must always be thankful to God, continue to rely on His promptings and be ready to move on steadily through the power of the Holy Spirit. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do everything through him who strengthens me”.

It is essential as a church to come together on Sundays and other days to fellowship and have fun through recreational activities because it helps improve our mental, physical and spiritual well-being. 

This will help improve our quality of life, make new friends, learn new things and share our experiences. Life is challenging and very stressful, and we must ensure that we take care of ourselves through recreational activities to avoid or minimise stress. The church is creating an avenue for us to take some time out of our busy schedule to play games, uplift our souls with some refreshing words of God, drink tea & coffee with our friends and pray together. 

Come and be part of our new church activity dubbed Thursday Fun and Fellowship (TFF) starting on Thursday, 27th July, from 7-8:30 pm every Thursday. Come out and enjoy yourselves. 

Fr. Josiah

Downloads

Other news

Our new Sunday School is up and running and is an hour after mass every other Sunday. There is Sunday School THIS WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

You’ll notice over the summer that either Fr. Josiah and       Fr. Matthew may be away on Sundays – this is not because they’re having wonderful holidays but because they’re covering services at other churches who are not as fortunate in having two Priests!

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

We are planning a Bible Study Evening for Thursdays starting on 27th July, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. We will come together to have informal discussions on interesting topics in the Bible, share ideas, experiences, have tea / coffee, pray, and play board games together. Let us pray about it for the will of God to be done.

A light, and a lamp.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) 

The word of God is our lamp that helps us to see things around us and be able to make the right decisions in life. It also serves as a light on our path in order to see our way clear and be bold and move on in this life with purpose. In fact, the word of God is the manual that must dictate the lifestyle of every Christian.  

The Psalmist makes it clear 

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2) 

Most of us have the desire to peruse the word of God but sometimes doing it alone makes it difficult and unexciting especially when we come across texts that are difficult to comprehend. 

We believe that the time is ripe to present an opportunity for everyone to share thoughts and personal understanding of specific biblical texts. 

The psalm encourages us to be in the counsel of the godly and contemplate continuously on the word of God. 

This is a window opened for all of us to meditate on scripture together and encourage ourselves with scripture. 

So, we are planning a Bible Study Evening for Thursdays starting on 27th July, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. We will come together to have informal discussions on interesting topics in the Bible, share ideas, experiences, have tea / coffee, pray, and play board games together. Let us pray about it for the will of God to be done. 

Fr. Josiah

Downloads

Other news

Our new Sunday School is up and running and is an hour after mass every other Sunday. Our next Sunday school is NEXT WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

We’ll be updating the prayer list next week. If you would like somebody to stay on the list, or if you’d like to add or remove somebody please do speak to Susan.

You’ll notice over the summer that either Fr. Josiah and       Fr. Matthew may be away on Sundays – this is not because they’re having wonderful holidays but because they’re covering services at other churches who are not as fortunate in having two Priests!

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

We are planning a Bible Study Evening for Thursdays starting on 27th July, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. We will come together to have informal discussions on interesting topics in the Bible, share ideas, experiences, have tea / coffee, pray, and play board games together. Let us pray about it for the will of God to be done.

Foundation stones, are built to last.

This week we celebrate the solemnity (a holy day of obligation where all Christians are expected to attend mass) of Saints Peter and Paul.

Solemnities are the most important days in the Christian calendar and when they come along we should pay particular attention to them (even if we don’t make it to mass).

Peter and Paul are the foundations on which Jesus built the Church as we know it. They were instrumental in creating the body of Christ here on earth.

Each year we are called to remember them, to remember their great sacrifices (neither met a particular wonderful end), but more importantly, to remember their great examples. 

St. Peter was a fisherman from Galilee. He (along with Andrew) were the first to be invited to follow Jesus. 

Peter was an enthusiastic disciple and very human – he would often get things wrong and make dreadful mistakes that Jesus had to explain. 

But his enthusiasm and love for Jesus is what led to him being given the keys of heaven, to him being the first Pope. 

Paul on the other hand was on the wrong path. Persecuting the followers of Jesus in the most horrible ways. But, he had his eyes opened and in that instant he followed Jesus and became one of the greatest evangelists of all time – baptising thousands of people at once.

St. Peter – our rock, St. Paul – our evangelist, are both examples that we are called to follow today. 

Are you a rock that someone can rely on to pray for them? Are you the evangelist that will bring your neighbour to Jesus?

Fr. Matthew

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Other news

We will be hosting Deanery Synod on Tuesday this week. If you could help by serving refreshments I would be grateful. 

Our new Sunday School is up and running and is an hour after mass every other Sunday. Our next Sunday school is THIS WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

We’ll be updating the prayer list on the first week of July. If you would like somebody to stay on the list, or if you’d like to add or remove somebody please do speak to Susan.

We’re looking for readers for the coming couple of months. Please see the rota at the entrance or speak to Susan. It’s been so lovely to hear new voices over the last few months and to hear from the children as well. Let’s do more!

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Live Streaming of Daily Prayer & Mass is now fully back – you can tune in live each day, or catch up, all via the dedicated page on our website. https://stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/live 

Free Will

1 Corinthians 6:12 says

 “All things are lawful for me”, but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me”, but I will not be enslaved by anything.” 

God has given us free will which makes us decide the path we want to tread but it is always important to take a step back and reflect on every decision, plan and action whether it is helpful. 

The fact that we have money and can buy whatever food we want does not mean every food is good for us. We can express ourselves anyway we prefer but we must do it by taking cognisance of the outcome. 

Indeed, our ability to control ourselves is very key in this journey of ours and discerning what the spirit wants us to do is key in our Christian life. 

Free will is for us to be able to control our actions not allowing ourselves to be enslaved by things that are not helpful. 

Sheep have shepherds but it does not mean they cannot take decisions, they will need a shepherd who is able to see what is ahead of them and direct them to the right path where they can feel protected, nourished and fulfil their purpose.

We all find ourselves in situations where we find it difficult to discern the will of God in our lives. 

That is why it is important to allow God to be our shepherd, so that we will not be enslaved by unhelpful things and become like sheep without a shepherd. Let God’s will be done.

Fr. Josiah

Downloads

Other News

Our new Sunday School is up and running and is an hour after mass every other Sunday. Our next Sunday school is next week (25th June) at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

We have moved the first 59 Club meeting to the 13th July.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Live Streaming of Daily Prayer & Mass. Our internet connection has stabilised after several weeks of disruption and so we are pleased to be able offer live streaming of the daily offices and mass again – thank you for your patience as we deal with the gremlins affecting this!